Reel Life - February 2025

Great summer of fishing!

What a great summer of fishing we’ve been experiencing, all around the country anglers are reporting some great catches in the last month.

Our regional teams have their pages packed with loads of helpful information for anglers, so be sure to check out other regions as well, you’ll be surprised at what wee gems you’ll find.

The Auckland Waikato team have been out drift diving and have had the highest number of fish over 40cm seen since the 90’s!

The Wellington and Taranaki teams report that the lower North Island is firing as a fishery, if you live nearby or are visiting, factor in some fishing time because it’ll be worth it.

Our lake fisheries, like Lake Alexandrina in Central South Island, have been firing for fishing. Lakes are an ideal place to visit in warm temperatures, as they are large bodies of water and offer plenty of places for fish to stay cool.

It’s important to remember with autumn on the horizon, now is a great time to explore new fishing spots. As temperatures cool, trout become more active throughout the day, making them easier to spot.

This provides anglers with a great opportunity to assess whether an area is worth revisiting in future seasons.

Exploring new waters also helps improve your techniques and adds an extra challenge - there’s nothing more satisfying than catching fish in a place you've never fished before!

 

Last Month for the Fishing Licence Photo Competition!

This month is the last chance for anglers to enter the annual Fishing licence photo competition.

The January winner of the Photo Competition is Radek Baus from Canterbury, who caught this lovely moment between father and son.

Radek tells us how he got the shot: “We'd been planning a fishing trip with our mate Tom Kellner for ages. Tom's a good angler, but he's new to fly fishing and was keen to pick up a few tips.

It was his first fly fishing trip with his soon-3-year-old son, Elliot, and they had a ripper time fishing and camping.

We spotted a fish feeding in the fast water, and a few casts with a blowfly pattern did the trick. This was also Tom's first fish on the fly, so I was stoked to capture that moment.

It was a fantastic day for my wife Lucie and me. We always love introducing new people to the sport and seeing them have a blast.”

Well done Radek who is the third monthly winner of a $250 Kilwell voucher. February is the last month for the competition so get your entry in now: www.fishandgame.org.nz

Our four monthly winners go into the grand prize draw in March for a $1,000 voucher from Kilwell Sports.

The overall winner’s photo will feature on the front of the 2025/2026 Fish & Game fishing licence and the winner’s name will be engraved on an annual trophy retained by Fish & Game

Once again thanks heaps to our generous sponsor@kilwellsports.

 

Arms Act Submission

A last minute reminder for our readers to submit on the Arms Act review.

As we alerted our readers last month, The Ministry of Justice is currently undertaking consultation on the rewrite of the Arms Act. Anyone can provide feedback until 28 February.

All information on how to make a submission, including the discussion document and the summary version, can be found on the Firearms Reform webpage at www.justice.govt.nz/firearms.

In October last year, Fish & Game provided some initial feedback relating to shooting clubs, shooting ranges, and other matters, as part of the wider Arms Act rewrite.

 

Fish Futures Survey

Help shape the future of NZ’s freshwater fish management AND be in to win a $100-$500 Hunting & Fishing voucher!

Researchers from the Cawthron Institute and Fish & Game NZ are running a survey for anyone who goes freshwater fishing. We want to understand the value of different fishing experiences and your views on modified fishing environments like canals and stocked ponds.

Your answers will help Fish & Game NZ to get more people involved in freshwater fishing, and to make policy and management decisions that reflect what matters to you.

The survey is anonymous and takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Take the survey here: https://tinyurl.com/2zekjjy5